The Story of Citizens United

Annie Leonard’s new film asks: Why have corporations gotten so powerful? And what can we do about it?

posted Mar 01, 2011

Do you want a healthy environment, good jobs with fair wages, access to affordable health care? So do most Americans, but too often our political system stands in the way. Why is that, if we live in a democracy?

Of course, corporations are much more powerful than most real people—of the 100 largest economies in the world, Annie points out, more than half aren't countries, but corporations—and they're also required, by law, to pursue maximum profits, even at the expense of the environment or jobs. So it's not that surprising that their interests aren't in line with those of most Americans, or that 85 percent of us now feel that corporations have too much influence in our democracy.

Click here for Annie's tips: 5 ways you can help stop Citizens United.

Interested?

of YES! Magazine's coverage of ways to respond to the Citizens United court decision.

More videos from Annie Leonard:

:
The Story of Stuff will take you on a provocative tour of our
consumer-driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod
incineration—exposing the real costs of our use-it and lose-it approach
to stuff.

:
Asking tough questions about who cap and trade really benefits—and
whether it will make a difference in averting catastrophic climate
change.

: Should you be worried about your tap water? Yes, but not for the reason you expected.

: What's in your shampoo, anyway? Annie Leonard explores the toxins in our bathrooms, and what to do about them.